Railway pilot structure



A g- 1950 J. c. TRAVILLA, JR 2,519,944

RAILWAY PILOT STRUCTURE Filed Nov. s, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i JAMESC.TRAV|LLA,JR.I

Aug. 22, 1950 J. c. TRAVILLA, JR

RAILWAY PILOT STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 6, 1946 INVE/vwRJAMES C. TRAVILLA, JR.

Patented Aug. 22, 1950 RAILWAY PILOT STRUCTURE James C. Travilla, Jr.,Swarthmorc, Pa., assignor to General Steel Castings Corporation, GraniteCity, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application November 6, 1946,Serial No. 708,072

13 Claims.

The invention relates to railway vehicles and,,

more particularly, to pilot structure therefor.

The ordinary steam locomotive is usually run in one direction andtherefore the usual type of steam line connection is not necessary atthe front end of such locomotives. No deflecting pilot is needed on theend of the locomotive to which another vehicle is coupled.Diesel-electric locomotives, however, are usually designed to run inboth directions and therefore it is desirable to provide pilots at bothends of this type of locomotive and it is also desirable to provide forthe usual type of steam line connection at both ends of such locomotivesto accommodate coupling another vehicle to the locomotive at either end,and when the usual steam line connection is used, the pilot must beconstructed so that it will not interfere with the steam pipes whenasteam connection is to be made between the coupled vehicles.

The main object of the invention is to provide a pilot having adeflecting base which can be retracted so as to provide for the usualsteam line connection with a vehicle coupled to the same end of thelocomotive and further to enclose the coupler and train pipessubstantially wholly within the pilot structure, when the coupler andpipes are not being used, to protect them from obstructions on thetracks.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the forward central part of alocomotive underframing and pilot and is taken approximately on the linel-l of Figure 2 and shows a drop coupler and train pipes.

Figure 2 is a front view of the same structure.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken approximately on theline 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail forward view showing the bottom member of the pilotin lowered functioning position and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken approximately on line5-5 of Figure 4 and shows a train pipe in retracted non-functioningposition.

The front end I of the locomotive framing mounts a pilot 2 recessed at 3to receive a drop coupler structure 4 including a head 5 and a rigidshank 6. The locomotive framing includes sills l for mounting a draftgear 8 including a yoke 9. The coupler shank 6 and draft yoke 9 areconnected by a link In bifurcated vertically at its forward end toreceive the coupler and bifurcated horizontally at its rear end to bereceived in pockets 34 in the draft yoke.

Link In is provided at its forward end with a horizontal pivot I l tocoupler shank 6 and at its rear end with a vertical pivot l2 to yoke 9.A horizontal pin it, extending through a horizontally elongated aperturel9 in shank 6 and through the forward end of link l8, cooperates withpivot II to maintain coupler 4 in the same horizontal plane and inoperative position with link Ill. The forward portion of link l0 has awear plate 35 attached to the lower face and is slidably supported by abar l3 extending transversely of the locomotive and yieldingly supportedby springs M seated in a channel-shaped member on upright webs l6 of thepilot. Yoke 9 rests on a support I! secured to spaced draft sills 1.

A bottom member extends across the lower portion of recess 3 and isattached hingedly to the forward end of pilot 2 by bolts extendingthrough openings 26 in upright webs and in lugs 21 at the sides ofrecess 3 and through elon- 4 gated slots 29 in ears 28 at the ends ofbottom member 20. Bottom member 2!] may be pivoted between a lowerfunctioning position, as shown in broken lines in Figure 1 and in solidlines in Figures 4 and 5, and an upper non-functioning position, asshown in solid lines in Figures 1, 2 and 3, and movement of member 29 islimited to approximately by its engagement with faces 21a and 21b onlugs 21. The lugs through their faces 21b take the thrust on member 20in case of collision. Member 20 is curved so that when it is in lowerfunctioning position, it extends forwardly of pilot 2 and completes thecurved contour of the pilot. When member 20 is raised to non-functioningposition, it is received Wholly within the pilot so it does notinterfere with the adjacent vehicle to which the locomotive is coup-led.Member 2!) is locked in lower functioning position by projections 30 onlugs 21 engaging member 2!! in recesses 31 at its ends (Figure 5).Member 20 is locked in upper non-functioning position by projecting rib32 on member 20 engaging lugs 21 at recesses 33 (Figure 3). To pivotmember 25 from one position to the other, member 20 is first raisedvertically to move projections 30 or 32 out of recesses 3| or 33,respectively.

A train pipe 22 provided with swivel .ioints 23 and 24 is arranged forforward extensionfrom and for retraction into pilot 2. Pipes 22 may beextended from pilot 2 for attachment to the pipes of an adjacent car, asshown in solid lines in Figures 1 and 3, when bottom member is in uppernon-functioning position. When pipes 22 are retracted into pilot 2, tonon-operative position, as shown in broken lines in Figures 1 and 5,bottom member 20 is lowered to functionin position, as shown in Figures4 and 5, where it guards the pipes against accidental engagement withobjects on the tracks. In both functioning and non-functioningpositions, member 20 constitutes a brace for the lower forward portionof pilot 2.

With bottom member 20 in this lowered functioning position, coupler 4may be shifted, after the removal of pin i8, from the functioningposition shown in full lines in Figure 3. to the inactive position shownin broken lines. The coupler swings on pivot l until the coupler head isreceived substantially wholly within the pilot.

The details of the above-described structure may be varied from thoseshown without departing from the spirit of the invention and theexclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of theclaims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot member having a recessarranged to receive a drop coupler and train piping, and an elementextending across the lower portion of said recess and movable to alowered position to protect the train piping and to accommodate receiptof a drop coupler into the recess and to araised position into theportion of the recess-occupied by the drop coupler in retracted positionand to accommodate projection of train piping outwardly of the recessand through the portion of the recess occupied by said element when inlowered position.

2. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot member having a recessarranged to receive a drop coupler and train piping, an elementextending across the lower portion of said recess and movable to alowered position to accommodate receipt of a drop coupler into therecess and to a raised position to accommodate projection of trainpiping outwardly of the recess, and means automatically interlockingwith and positively holding said element in either position until theelement is lifted.

3. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot member having a recessarranged to receive a drop coupler and train piping, and an elementextending across the lower portion of said recess and movable to alowered position to accommodate receipt of a drop coupler into therecess and to a raised position to accommodate projection of trainpiping outwardly of the recess, said element providing the soleprotection to said piping forwardly of the pilot member and extendingoutwardly of the pilot member when in lowered position and withdrawinginto said pilot member when in raised position.

4. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot member having a couplerrecess, and an element extending across and providing the sole closurefor the lower portion of said recess and having pivots on the member atthe sides of the recess and movable on its pivots to raised and loweredpositions, said member having portions spaced member having a forwardlyopening coupler recess, an element pivotally supported by said pilotmember and extending across and providing the sole closure for the lowerportion of said recess opening, said element swinging on its pivotalsupport from raised to lowered positions and extending across saidrecess opening in both positions, there being automatically interlockingportions on said element and said member and spaced from the elementpivot for positively holding said element in either position.

6. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot member having a couplerrecess, an element extending across and providing the sole closure forthe lower portion of said recess, there being means to provide pivotalmovement of said element from lowered to raised positions, said memherand element having associated interlocking integral projections andrecesses to positively hold said element in either position.

'7. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot body member having acoupler recess, a bottom member extending across said recess, one ofsaid members having elongated slots adjacent the opposite ends of saidbottom member, the elongated axes of said slots extending at a substantial angle to the horizontal, the other of said members having openingsadjacent said slots, pins seated in said openings and movabletransversely of their lengths in said slots and pivotally mounting thebottom member on the body member so that the bottom member may be swungbetween lowered and raised positions, opposing interlocking elements onsaid members positively holding said bottom member against pivotalmovement when the pins are intermediate the ends of the correspondingslots and accommodating pivotal movement of the bottom member when thepinsv are at theends of the corresponding slots.

8. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot body member having acoupler recess, a bottom member extending across said recess, one ofsaid members having elongated slots adjacent the opposite ends of saidbottom member, the elongated axes of said slots extending at asubstantial angle to the horizontal, the other of said members havingopenings adjacent said slots, pins seated in said openings and movabletransversely of their lengths in said slots and pivotally mounting thebottom member on the body member so that the bottom member may be swungbetween lowered and raised positions, op-

posing interlocking elements on said members positively holding saidbottom member against pivotal movement, said elements being releasedfrom interlocking relation by lifting the bottom member bodily.

9. In combination, a railway vehicle pilot having a curved forwardcontour and having a recess in its forward end, train pipes arranged forextension from and retraction into said pilot, and a curved bottommember extending across said recess pivoted to move from a functioningposition, in which said member provides the sole protection at the frontof the pilot for said pipes when said pipes are retracted within saidpilot, to a non-functioning position in which said member permits saidpipes to be extended from said pilot, said member when in functioningposition extending forwardly of and completing the curved contour ofsaid pilot, and when in nonfunctioning position being received withinsaid pilot, there being interlocking elements spaced from the memberpivot to hold it in functioning position and in non-functioningposition.

10. In combination a railway vehicle pilot having a recess in itsforward end, train pipes arranged for extension from and retraction intosaid pilot, a bottom member extending across and providing the soleclosure for the lower portion of said recess and movable from afunctioning position, in which said member protects said pipes when saidpipes are retracted within said pilot, to a non-functioning position inwhich said member permits said pipes to be extended from said pilot, andmeans automatically interlocking with and positively holding said memberin either position to which it is moved.

11. In combination in a railway vehicle, a pilot having a recess, a dropcoupler extending outwardly through the recess in said pilot when innormal operating position and retracting substantially wholly withinsaid pilot when in nonoperating position, train pipes arranged forextension from and retraction into said pilot, and a bottom membermovable from a functioning position, in which said member protects saidpipes when said pipes are in retracted position, to a non-functioningposition in which said member lies in the portion of said recessoccupied by said coupler when in non-operating position and permits saidpipes to be extended from said pilot.

12. In combination in a railway vehicle, a pilot having a recess, a,drop coupler movable vertically between functioning and non-functioningpositions, and a member extending across the lower portion of saidrecess and cooperating with the sides of the pilot and with the couplerin nonfunctioning position to form an obstacle engaging surface, saidmember being movable upwardly when said coupler is in functioningposition into a portion of said recess occupied by the coupler innon-functioning position to provide a passageway beneath said member forextended train piping.

13. In combination in a railway vehicle, a pilot structure having arecess, a drop coupler extending outwardly through said recess in saidpilot structure when in normal operating position and retracting withinsaid recess and substantially closing the upper portion of said recesswhen in non-operating position, and a member extending across andsubstantially closing the lower portion of said recess and directlyabutting a portion of said pilot structure and cooperating with thesides of the pilot structure and with said coupler when the latter isdropped-to form an obstacle engaging surface, said member being movableupwardly when the coupler is in normal operating position to provide apassageway beneath the member for train piping extending forwardly ofthe pilot beyond said member.

JAMES C. TRAVILLA, JR.,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,343,675 Hyatt et al June 15,1920 1,554,366 Raber Sept. 22, 1925 2,027,269 Einwaechter Jan. '7, 19362,089,152 Meyer et al. Aug. 3, 1937 2,266,303 Blomberg Dec. 16. 1941

